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Disks, partitions and file storage are fundamental to computing. The concepts behind partitioning and using a disk drive haven’t changed for decades. However, this can be somewhat limiting. Here is where Linux’s Volume Manager comes in handy.

Java is one of the commonly used modern programming languages. Originally designed in the early 90’s at Sun Microsystems, Java was intended to provide programmers with a solution that enabled them to run the same code on any system easily.

One of the most used text editors on Linux and Unix systems is Vim. Standing for VI iMproved it has replaced the original vi editor on many Linux distributions. It’s done this to such an extent that when you use the vi command on Ubuntu, CentOS or other distros what you are really getting is Vim. It has a reputation for breaking beginners to Linux. Those who accidentally open a file using the command then have no idea how to edit the file or even exit the program. Fear not though, while the interface may seem complicated and frightening to start with, it can be quite simple to use once you understand it; we promise.

Most Linux systems will have a message of the day set up to inform the user about system information once they log in. However, there is normally nothing configured to display prior to login. Providing a message prior to login can help users identify to which server they are connecting and can also serve as a legal warning to unauthorized users that they shouldn’t attempt to log in to the system. While this doesn’t come pre-configured on a Linux system, setting it up is a very simple process.

Log files are some of the most important files on your server. Most applications will support logging information while they run. They can provide information about what an application is doing and also what errors may have occurred should the application crash. But how can we access them quickly and easily?

One of the downsides of running a website is that you never know what other people may do with your content. It can be copied, edited and shared with ease across the internet. One option is to hotlink your articles. Find out how here.

In previous articles we’ve looked at various aspects of scripting with Bash. One of the most useful features of creating a script is the ability to change the way the script responds based on input from the user. We’ve covered how program flow can be changed using ‘if statements’, loops and functions, along with how command line arguments can be used to receive information from a user. But it can also be helpful to enable the script to interact with the user while it is running.

So far in the Getting Started With Scripting series, we’ve looked at a few ways of manipulating program flow. We covered using the if statement to choose whether or not to run sets of commands and then we covered loops to repeatedly run sets of commands. Another way of controlling program flow in Bash is with the use of functions.